Reported use of deepfakes and AI bots in Israeli election campaign

According to an Al Jazeera report published on October 25, 2026, the Israeli general election campaign saw widespread use of deepfakes, AI-generated videos, and online bots by both the Likud party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the opposition bloc. The report states that these digital tools were employed to mobilize supporters, win voters, and attack opponents online. The Israeli liberal daily Haaretz reportedly detailed that dozens of online bots, originally created to undermine the Iranian government, were repurposed to disseminate campaign propaganda supporting Netanyahu and his Likud party, while also warning voters about figures like Gadi Eisenkot and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett from the opposition. Both political camps were reportedly pushing AI-generated and deepfake videos on X. Examples cited include videos showing Netanyahu confronting his alleged failings before the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack, and others portraying the opposition as sympathetic to Arab parties. Finance Minister Belazel Smotrich reportedly released an AI video depicting the Supreme Court’s president, a justice, and the attorney general being violently dragged from an anti-government protest. Another AI video, reportedly shared by Netanyahu earlier in the year, showed his rival Eisenkot embracing Mansour Abbas, head of the Arab Ra’am party, with a figure initially believed to resemble Eisenkot’s deceased son, though Netanyahu’s camp later disputed this intention and replaced the character. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also reportedly shared an AI video demonizing Palestinian citizens of Israel. Additionally, numerous accounts reported heavy use of bots by Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir’s campaigns to amplify their political messaging, contributing to what experts describe as 'affective polarization' in the election.